What do the U.S. and China Have in Common?

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

In China, rising income inequality is threatening their entire economy because the gap between profits and wages is soaring. Although elements of the government have sought to boost workers’ incomes, they have been thwarted by major companies and banks. Although corporate profits are at all time highs, the workers who create the wealth through their hard labor are struggling just to get by. Sound familiar?

It’s been proven time and time again that unions increase average wages and benefits, improve working conditions, and give workers a voice on the job. This is a major reason communist officials in China are so opposed to the idea; the freedom to associate and collectively bargain for improved conditions levels the playing field between workers and the elite 1%. It's time to restore some balance between management and working people, starting with making sure middle-class Americans have a voice and a seat at the table again.

We constantly hear the Right-wing talk about how Walmart workers, fast food workers, and other service employees deserve the low wages they get because of their “lack of skills and education.” We suggest they leave their gated communities for a few minuets and see how the real world works. This is a sad look at how hard work in America doesn’t always pay.

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The great American middle class wasn’t something that just happened – it was built brick by brick. It was built by soldiers returning from war and a government that repaid them by giving them a shot at college.

What the wealthy and well-connected figured out is that they have strength in numbers: the numbers of dollars they contribute to politicians. It’s time working and middle class Americans use our strength in numbers to reclaim the American Dream. We need a counterweight to the power of big money – and that’s the power of big numbers, the power of ordinary people who work for a living demanding to have our voices heard – from the workplace to Washington.